Cantaloupe is in season from June through August, but you can find it all year round. It’s one of my favorite #summergolds and should be enjoyed before peak season is over. Don’t let it pass you by.
Sometimes ice cream just won’t cut it, wait, scratch that! Ice cream will always cut it but sometimes your taste buds desire a different chilling experience. And you can get it all in this simple granita recipe that will satisfy your thirst and relieve your hot weather blues. I remember the first time I discovered this stuff. I made it with Blue Raspberry Kool-Aid. No, not grape, don’t judge me, but it was still amazing. I hope you love it now as much as I did then.
Mint & Basil Cantaloupe Granita
1 medium cantaloupe
1/4 granulated sugar
1/4 orange juice
5-8 leaves fresh mint
4-5 leaves fresh basil
1. Cut your cantaloupe in half. Use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to remove the seeds. Now you can either opt to scoop the fruit out using the ice cream scoop. Or resort to that culinary talent and cut the fruit into quarters and filet it off the rind.
2. Place fruit into blender or food processor with the sugar, orange juice, and herbs. You might need to do this in smaller batches if it won’t all fit, which is fine.
3. Taste mixture to check for sugar content. You might desire to add more. If not, pour mixture into a 13×13 cake pan, or casserole dish. Place in the freezer. You can either let it freeze over night or if you wish to use it same day. Then start 3 hours prior to usage, and you can revisit the mixture every thirty minutes for a broken glass like texture or fully freeze and scrape with a fork or ice cream scoop for a more snow-like consistency. Either way enjoy!
Garnish: I used a little coarse flake kosher salt, because I think cantaloupe and salt work so well together; or just some fresh berries will work.
